Meaning & use
benign
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Kind and gentle in manner, showing goodwill and no wish to cause harm.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a linking verb: a benign smile; his manner was benign.
Patterns
- a benign smile
- benign toward someone
The old teacher gave the nervous students a benign smile.
He ruled the village with a benign hand and rarely raised his voice.
She took a benign view of her neighbors' noisy parties.
adjectivecomparablemedical
Describing a growth or illness that is not cancerous and will not spread or seriously threaten health.
Grammar: Medical use, most often after a verb: the tumor is benign.
Patterns
- a benign tumor
- turn out to be benign
The doctor said the lump was benign and needed no treatment.
Most moles are benign, but any change should be checked.
The biopsy showed a benign cyst.
adjectivebefore a noun
Mild and harmless in its effect, or favorable to living things and growth.
Grammar: Describes conditions or influences: a benign climate, a relatively benign side effect.
Patterns
- a benign climate
- a benign environment
The valley has a benign climate with warm summers and mild winters.
The software update had a benign effect on performance.
Economists described the market conditions as benign.
Common combinations
- benign tumor
- The scan revealed a benign tumor that doctors decided to monitor.
- benign smile
- He watched the children play with a benign smile.
- benign neglect
- The garden suffered from years of benign neglect, which left it wild but healthy.
- benign climate
- The island's benign climate attracts retirees from the north.
- relatively benign
- Side effects of the medicine were relatively benign, mostly a mild headache.
Synonyms and how they differ
- harmless
- Harmless only says that no damage is done, while benign can also suggest kindness or a mild positive quality.
- gentle
- Gentle describes soft behavior and is common in everyday speech, whereas benign is more formal and often describes a person in authority.
- kindly
- Kindly emphasizes warmth and friendliness, but it cannot describe a tumor or a climate as benign can.
- mild
- Mild fits weather and effects, but it does not carry benign's sense of being safe after a medical test.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: benign or benevolent?
benign vs benevolent
Benevolent means actively wishing and doing good for others, as in a benevolent donor, whereas benign mainly means harmless or gentle.
Practice
After the biopsy, the doctor reassured her that the lump was ___ and would not need surgery.
Choose one answer.
Benign means not cancerous and not dangerous. Malignant is the opposite, and chronic and acute describe the duration or sharpness of an illness rather than whether a growth is harmful.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “benign”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.